'Sleep' by Alessandro Algardi

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Allegory of Sleep (det.) by Alessandro Algardi

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The beautiful and evocative sculpture of Il Sonno (Sleep, c. 1635), in the Galleria Borghese, is by Alessandro Algardi (1598-1654), a sculptor who deserves to be much better known.

​Sleep takes the form of a languorous young boy. There are opium poppies entwined in his hair and more lie by his left hand. The black marble reinforces the theme of the sculpture.